Broccoli-Leek-Mozzarella Quiche

We love quiche as a light and simple meal. I played with a new combination for dinner Sunday evening.

Broccoli-Leek-Mozzarella Quiche
This recipe is for a small sized quiche. My quiche dish is 6-1/2 inch. If making a larger quiche double the ingredients and increase the baking time.

3/4 to 1 cup broccoli rosettes
1 small sliced leek
1 ball of mozzarella
2 pinches mixed Italian herbs
2 eggs
milk
freshly ground salt and pepper
puff pastry - 4 squares

Thaw the frozen puff pastry sheets and press in a buttered quiche dish. I used 4 squares which I left standing higher out of the dish to give the dough a rustic look.

Blanche the broccoli to take the bite out of the vegetable but not allowing it to get soft. Drain and place in the dish. Drain the mozzarella and dice. Place the cheese over the broccoli and then sprinkle with mixed herbs. Fry the leek in a pan until just turning glassy. Place over the broccoli-cheese.

Break two eggs in a glass measuring jug. Beat well. Add enough milk to bring it up to one cup. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the vegetable-cheese and place in a 180C/350F oven for 30 minutes.

This quiche seems wet when you slice it due to the mozzarella but just be sure the egg is baked through.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch stir-fry

As I have mentioned before, we are big Brussel sprouts lovers. I have posted a recipe for sprouts with rice before but this one has not developed into this more spicy version. So here is a very tasty way to dress up Brussel sprouts with.....

Dutch Stir-fry
250 gr (about 1/2 lb) Brussel sprouts, cut in half and washed
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced in strips and cut in bite sized pieces
1 red chili pepper, remove seeds and finely chopped
125 gr (about 1/4 lb) bacon lardons or chunks
3 spring onions, sliced
good pinch of thyme
3/4 cup of rice, cooked and set aside

Parboil the sprouts about 3 minutes, drain and set aside.

Fry the bacon and red pepper in a little olive oil adding thyme to the meat.

Now add the spring onions and finely chopped red chili. Then add the cooked sprouts to the mixture and warm through. Last, add the cooked rice, mixing well and serve.

Note:  The heat of your chosen chili pepper will determine the spiciness of this dish. Ours are mildly hot.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Salad Pizza

A couple of years ago, I was watching a Rachel Allen show on the BBC. She was visiting the home of an Italian chef who had a wonderful pizza oven and cooking area in his back yard. It was the first time I ever saw a salad pizza. Since then, I think I prefer them to regular pizza toppings. I love making a rocket salad pizza but decided to make this one instead since I had the ingredients in my kitchen. My mother wondered what I was doing so I am sharing this recipe...

Tossed salad pizza
Pizza margherita (plain pizza with only tomato sauce and cheese)
Butter lettuce (you will want a soft lettuce leaf and not iceberg)
Red and black olives, sliced in half
Tomato, chopped in chunks
Spring onion, chopped finely
Red onion, sliced in half rings
Parmasan cheese, flaked

Bake your pizza until done. Mix your salad ingredients and add a tablespoon of olive oil, teaspoon of red balsamic vineager and some mixed Italian herbs.  Remove pizza from oven and simply top with your salad. It is a refreshing and healthy pizza.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Rode bietjes stamppot - Dutch specialty

Rode bietjes stamppot (stamppot is a traditional dish where potatoes are mixed with one or more vegetables) is a tasty alternative to having the typical kale or andive in your stamppot. Rode bietjes are red beets as you can see from the photo. They do turn your potatoes to a red color but, believe me, it is delicious and simple to make.

Red beet stamppot
about 700 grams potatoes (approx 1-1/2lb)
500 grams cooked red beets (approx 1lb)
1 leek
thyme
salt and pepper
Dutch smoked sausage or preferred meat

Peel and cook the potatoes until soft. Add a pad of butter and mash them with a hand masher. Add a splash of milk being sure to keep the potatoes quite stiff. You do not want to make a creamy mash for stamppot.

Meanwhile, dice the cooked beets and slice the leek. Cook these together in a pan with a pad of butter, thyme and salt and pepper. This does not need to be on the heat for long as you just want to heat the beets and wilt the leeks.

Mix the vegetables into your potato mash and heat through. Serve with a Dutch smoke sausage or any meat of your choice. A traditional Dutch winter meal.....

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Crustless zucchini pie

Last weekend, Jos and I tried this recipe I found online. I made a few changes. It was so delicious and luckily we had a very large zucchini so we grated enough carrot and zucchini which are in the freezer ready to make another pie soon...

Crustless zucchini pie
3 eggs
1/2c (125ml) flour
1-1/4c grated zucchini
2/3c (150ml) grated carrots
1 onion, chopped
125g bacon lardons, fried to preference
1/2c (125ml) grated old Dutch gouda cheese
2 tbsp. olive oil

Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Heat oven to 350F/180C. Beat eggs in a large bowl adding flour until smooth. Stir in zucchini, carrots, onion, bacon, cheese and oil. Pour mixture into the pie plate and bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot from the oven.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Forgotten vegetable...black kale or Tuscan cabbage

Each year at the end of summer, the black kale is harvested at an organic farm near Cranberry Cottage. We buy it once a year for a special treat of a forgotten vegetable. It is a type of kale with a delicious strong taste. I prepare it in a similar way as my regular stamppot with kale with a few changes...

Dutch stamppot with black kale
1 bunch of black kale leaves
about 12 small/medium potatoes
vegetable bouillon tablet
salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: Dutch rookworst (smoked sausage)

Peel potatoes and place in a deep pan. Salt the potatoes and add a bouillon tablet covering the potatoes with hot water. Cut the stem from the middle of the black kale and slice up the leaves. Place on top of the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes.
Drain water and using a hand held potato masher, stamp your potatoes to a mash with the kale. Add a little knob of butter. I find I often do not need to add milk but do so if your mash is too dry. Serve with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper so you can omit adding any additional salt.

While the potatoes/kale are cooking, cook a Dutch smoked sausage or prepare any meat you wish to accompany your stamppot. This would even be tasty with simply bacon fried up and mixed in before serving.

To me, this has become a tradition for summer's end. It has the taste of those last summer days...

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Stuffed red bell peppers

I had recently made a recipe that I needed just a little ricotta cheese. I had about 2/3 of the container left and decided when I saw these huge red bell peppers that I would play around with creating a filling for them with what I had in the house. Here is the results which Jos already said he wants to eat again...

Stuffed red peppers
2 large red bell peppers
3 spring onions, chopped
12 button mushrooms, quartered
2 tomatoes, remove seeds and chop
about 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
thyme
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
about 1/2 cup grated cheese
2 tablespoons each of breadcrumbs and grated cheese

Cut the bell peppers in half and clean out the seeds. Par boil them in water for about 5 minutes or just until they start to soften. Now fry the onion, mushroom, tomatoes, sage and thyme. Spoon a tablespoon of the mix into each of the peppers.
In a bowl, mix the ricotta with an egg and freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. Stir in the grated cheese mixing well. Mix the remaining vegetable mixture in the ricotta mixture and spoon into the bell peppers. Top with the breadcrumbs and grated cheese mixed together. Bake in a 200C/400F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Served with a good rosé wine, this makes a perfect dinner on a warm summer's evening.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Forgotten vegetables...Hamburg root parsley

I love trying out forgotten vegetable sorts. We bought Hamburg root parsley (wortelpeterselie) in Germany and I decided to use it in a Dutch stamppot. This vegetable looks like a white carrot but is more in the region of a cross between a radish and a parsnip for taste. A unique taste that was well worth trying out and we will be buying these more regularly when in Germany.

My Country root parsley Stamppot
5 or 6 root parsley, peeled and cut up in chunks
3 potatoes, peeled and cut up in chunks
1 onion, peeled and sliced very roughly (don't make this too small as you want to taste the onion)
branch of rosemary and three of thyme
1 tablespoon herb cream cheese
half red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, peeled and chopped roughly
Dutch rookworst (smoked sausage) - you could also use salami

Cook the root parsley, potatoes and onion in a pan with rosemary and thyme. Use just enough salted water to cover and boil about 15 minutes until the potato and root parsley are tender. Discard the thyme stems and chop up the rosemary leaves.

In the meantime, cook the red pepper, onion and rookworst in a pan until the pepper is a little tender.

Stamp the potato mixture until they are roughly stamped. This is a country style meal and it should be left a little chunky. Now add the cream cheese and stir in well along with some freshly ground pepper to taste. Last, stir in the red pepper mixture and serve.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Cauliflower and potato bake...

This dish is great as a light summer meal on its own or as a side dish to your meat for the day. I use it when I want a light meal that is full of vegetables.

Cauliflower and potato bake
3 to 4 potatoes
1/2 head of cauliflower cut into flowerlets
3 carrots
3 spring onions
125g (1/4 lb.) bacon
salt and pepper
grated cheese of choice
1 vegetable bouillon tablet

Cook the cauliflower in water with the bouillon tablet until tender. Drain and sprinkle with pepper. Cook the potatoes until tender in the bouillon. Reserve a little liquid unless you would rather use a little milk.

Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes and cauliflower together leaving them roughly smashed. You want to have chunks of both potato and cauliflower in this dish. Salt and pepper further to taste.

Fry the carrot, spring onions and bacon until cooked. Now layer half the potato/cauliflower mix to a baking dish. Cover with half the carrot/onion/bacon mix. If you would like, you could also add some grated cheese at this point. Add the rest of the potato/cauliflower mix topping again with the rest of the carrot mix.
Now top with grated cheese and pour a little reserved bouillon or milk over the dish. Bake about 20 minutes in a 180C/350F oven.

This dish serves two as we eat it as our complete meal without a meat accompaniment.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - witlof or Belgian endive

This is a year round favorite in our house. We love any meal where a vegetable takes center stage.

This is Belgian endive or, as we call it here in Holland, witlof. This is a delicious vegetable that can be used in a salad or cooked. Eaten raw is not everyone's favorite as endive is bitter to the taste but, once cooked, it is a mild and tasty vegetable.

To prepare the witlof for cooking, all you have to do is cut off the end and remove the core with your paring knife which does taste bitter if eaten. You can see the core very well on the photo and simply try to score around it to remove. Boil the witlof in a pan full of water to cover. I boil them anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes depending on how large it is. It will go a little glassy when cooked.

Sprinkle some breadcrumbs in the bottom of a baking dish. Witlof continues to release moisture even after being drained and this help soak it up while baking.

Drain your witlof well and wrap each piece in a piece of ham. I like using parmaham but you can use any kind you like. Chop 2 or 3 spring onions and sprinkle over the ham wrapped witlof. Now sprinkle a layer of cheese again using any kind you like. I use Gouda cheese.

Place in an 350F/180C oven for about 25 minutes. Serve hot with noodles or boiled potatoes.

Note: An alternative is to fry some chopped bacon and sprinkle this over the witlof instead of wrapping in ham. If you have never tried this vegetable, I would give it a try. It is a tasty and healthy meal that tastes good in any season. If you still like to eat more meat then serve this as a side dish.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - Spinach with egg and bacon

One of the things I learned as being an old fashioned Dutch dish when I immigrated here many years ago is cooking fresh spinach. It is in season at the moment so we are enjoying it more regularly since it is more affordable. On top of it being delicious, it is also so good for you as it is rich in iron.

Spinach with egg and bacon
bag of fresh spinach (I use a 450g bag for two people - about 1lb.)
2 hard boiled eggs
4 potatoes, peeled and boiled
125g or 1/4 lb thick bacon, diced
3 to 4 spring onions, chopped
grated cheese (I use aged Gouda)
salt, pepper and nutmeg

Place the diced bacon in a frying pan. Fry using the fat of the bacon itself. Add the spring onion. Add spinach by the handfull allowing it to wilt each time before adding more. When the spinach is cooked, mix in salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste. Serve with grated cheese over the spinach and a sliced boiled egg and boiled potatoes.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Sage, leek and onion quiche

One of my favorite things to make and our favorite to eat any time of the year is a quiche. Since my herb garden is doing so well this year, I am coming up with more ways to use all the sage I have growing. So I whipped up a basic onion quiche made more special with fresh sage...

Sage, leek and onion quiche
frozen puff pastry
1 leek, sliced
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
grated cheese of choice (I use aged Gouda cheese)
1 egg
milk or half and half
salt and pepper
thyme

Thaw the pastry and roll out to fit into your quiche dish. *I am using a small quiche dish for 2 people. You will need to double everything for a larger quiche.*
Clean and slice leek and chop onion. Fry in a pan adding the fresh sage and (dried) thyme for the last minute. Place the onion and leek mix in the pastry shell.
Sprinkle grated cheese.

In a large measuring bowl, break an egg and add enough half and half to bring the amount up to 3/4 cup total. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the quiche.

Bake in a 180C/350F oven for about 35 minutes. If you use a large quiche dish, the baking will take about 45 to 50 minutes.

Note: I will increase the sage to 2 tablespoons next time as we really love the sage and felt there could be more in the quiche.

I like to serve quiche with a salad or sliced tomatoes.

My herb garden.....

The sage is doing particularly well and has lovely large leaves.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - Prei prol

I love food from various cultures. Here in Holland, the good and hearty foods are a comfort but also warming in the damp, cold climate we have here. Recently, while watching a show where Dutch farmer's wives were cooking local dishes, I came across this recipe for the first time. This is my version of a dish from the regions of Zeeland and Brabant.

"Stamppot" is a combination of potatoes with vegetable and sometimes meat. It is all mashed together in one pan. The pan is then placed on the dinner table for everyone to dish up their plates. This is a Dutch tradition in just about every family. Most families have their own recipes for various stamppots. I know my American family thought it was a strange idea at first but they love it.

"Prei prol" or Leek stamppot


1 leek, washed well and sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
5 or 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
bacon, cut in block or strips...I just used literally a handful of bacon lardons
2 eggs, hard boiled
butter
milk
vinegar
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in water until soft. Boil the eggs. While potatoes and eggs are boiling, cook the bacon. Add the sliced leek and two of the sliced spring onions until glassy and tender. Turn off the heat and set the frying pan aside.
Drain the potatoes and add a little pad of butter. Using a potato masher, stamp your potatoes adding a little milk. The mash should be be robust and lumpy as stamppot is not a puree. Now add a teaspoon full of vinegar and stir in the leeks, spring onions and bacon.
Peel the eggs and chop them up but not too fine. Lightly mix the egg through the stamppot being careful not to break the eggs up too much. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two.

This can be eaten as a meal in itself or serve with a piece of meat or sausage to choice. I served it with a patty of ground steak with English brown sauce. I sauteed two whole spring onions to serve on top.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Corn and cauliflower bake/pasta ragout - Part two

With the leftover half of the corn and cauliflower bake you can create a delicious vegetable ragout for pasta. It just means adding a few things to the cold leftovers and a new meal is on the table in no time...

Vegetable ragout for pasta
Half of corn and cauliflower bake (see previous blog post)
1 leek
2 spring onions
1 red chili pepper
6 or 7 mushrooms
1 carrot
1/2 cup creme fraiche
pinch of dill
salt and pepper
Parmasan cheese

Rinse the leek well and slice. Slice the spring onions putting the green tops aside. Fry the leek and spring onion in a little olive oil. I added a finely chopped red chili pepper but this is optional. 

Slice the mushrooms and add to the leeks and onions. Boil sliced carrot to just tender and add to the mix along with a pinch of dill. Add your leftover corn and cauliflower bake and mix well. If some of the cauliflower is too large, just cut through as it cooks. 

Mix in the creme fraiche and green of the spring onions. Add milk as needed. Salt and pepper the vegetable mixture to your own taste.

The vegetable mixture should be wet enough at this point as shown in the photo. Cook your choice of pasta as directed on the package and drain. I use about 1 cup of pasta for two. Add this to the mix and stir in some grated Parmasan cheese. Serve immediately. 

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!

Heidi

Brussel sprouts with rice

Come autumn, you will find fresh Brussel sprouts on the menu in our house often. One of our favorite ways to eat them keeps them very healthy indeed...

Brussel sprouts with rice

400g / 1 lb. fresh Brussel sprouts
3/4 cup rice
bacon chunks or bacon cut into strips
1 onion, chopped in large chunks
1/2 tsp thyme
olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
fresh ground garlic flakes

Prepare your sprouts by cutting a slit into the core and removing any bad outer leaves and cook until just tender. Cook the rice as instructed.

Fry the bacon is a scant tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and when cooked transparent, add the thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Freshly ground garlic flakes is optional but adds kick to the dish. Now mix in the cooked Brussel sprouts and rice. Stir together well and be sure it is heated through. Enjoy!

This recipe is enough for 2 people. If you like larger portions, you may want to increase the amounts.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Forgotten vegetables...Tuscan cabbage

Jos and I enjoy going to a farm in the north of Holland called De Cuynder. They sell their own vegetables including forgotten types or old varieties that are slowly disappearing. We bought a cooking pumpkin, two ears of sweet corn (they were only 25 cents which was an amazing price) and a crop of palm cabbage also known as Tuscan or black leaf cabbage. It is similar to kale but has a stronger taste. We tried it yesterday and it was delicious! Luckily, I have enough left to make another recipe which I will share in my next post but this is what I did with some of it for last night's meal.

Spaghetti carbonara with Tuscan cabbage for two

150 gram / 1/3 lb. spaghetti
1/4 lb. bacon, cut in chunks
3 spring onions, chopped roughly
1/3 lb. Tuscan cabbage, remove center vein and chop
3 eggs
1/4 lb. parmasan cheese
olive oil
pine nuts
freshly ground sea salt and pepper

Cook the spaghetti as directed on package. Roast the pine nuts if a dry pan and set aside. Fry the bacon in a little olive oil. Add spring onions and cabbage to the bacon until cooked.

In a bowl, mix the eggs with 3/4 of your parmasan cheese. When spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to the bacon and cabbage mixture. Now stirring constantly, add the eggs and cook until the spaghetti is coated and slightly cooked. Place the pasta onto two plates and add the remaining cheese and pine nuts, salt and pepper. Mix together and serve immediately.

If you are unable to get Tuscan cabbage, you can use kale in its place. It was fun trying a new vegetable and it really had a much better and more intense flavor than regular kale.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Provencal Chicken in Cream Sauce

This recipe is from the book The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher. It is a 4th generation Provencal recipe from Sara Wilford. I tried it last week while reading the book and it was divine!

My own changes are written in parentheses. I made this for two people by using two large skinless and boneless chicken breasts as we were only have meat and vegetables.

Provencal Chicken in Cream Sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small chicken, cut into eight pieces (I used two large skinless, boneless chicken      breasts)
16 whole baby onions, peeled (I used two regular onions chopped in chunks)
1 cup heavy cream (I used about 3/4 cup and it worked very well)
1/4 cup dry white wine
Flour
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Chopped fresh parsley

Coat the chicken pieces in flour, salt and pepper.

Heat butter in heavy large skillet (I used Dutch oven) over medium-high heat and lightly brown onions. Set aside. Add olive oil to butter and raise heat.
Add chicken to skillet and cook over medium heat until brown on all sides.
Add cream, wine, thyme, and the onions. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes, turning the pieces once. (Sauce should be slightly thickened by the flour used to coat the chicken.)

Transfer contents of skillet to cocotte or other deep seerving dish if desired, sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground pepper, and serve with rice. (I wilted some fresh chopped andive leaves in a pan and then placed it as a bed for the chicken. We did not even have any pototoes or rice with it as it was enough on its own.)

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Fried rice with vegetables

Fried Rice with Vegetables for two
1 cup of rice (I use whole grain or brown rice)
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
2 spring onions
5 mushrooms
half of a red pepper
1 stone leek
1 chili pepper
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
crispy fried onions

Cook the cup of rice as instructed on the package. Dice the celery and carrot and precook them in a little water to desired tenderness. Slice the spring onions keeping them bite sized. I do not chop them finely as you want to taste the onion in the mix. Wash and slice the leek into half rings. Finely chop the red chili after removing the seeds. Chop the red pepper and mushrooms.

In a non stick pan, add a little olive oil and begin frying the leeks, red pepper and chili. Add the mushrooms and spring onions and salt and pepper to taste. Add thyme and cooked celery and carrots. Last, add your cooked rice and fry together. This can become dry but do not add more oil...instead just sprinkle a little water into the mixture.

When serving, sprinkle crispy fried onions over the rice.

Note: You can add bacon or ham. Simply fry it along with the leeks, red pepper and chili.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

German noodles (Spätzle) with spinach

We take a drive to Germany once in a while for a grocery store run. We go to three stores and stock up on things we love in Germany. One of those things is spaetzle (spätzle) which is a type of noodle. Here is a recipe for one of the ways I prepare these tasty noodles...

German spätzle with spinach
approx. 150g / 1/3lb. spaetzle or a thick egg noodle
olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
500g / 1lb. fresh spinach
1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs
1/2 cup grated parmasan cheese
3 tablespoons cream
salt and pepper
parmasan flakes

Cook the noodles according to the package. You can use another egg noodle if you cannot get spaetzle. Chop up the onions and fry them in a little olive oil until they start to turn glassy. Start adding the well rinsed spinach with the onions. Once all the spinach is cooked (wilted) drain the pan well. Spinach releases a great deal of water when cooked. Add the herbs, salt and pepper to the spinach mixture.

Drain the noodles and add to the spinach and onions.  Now add 3 tablespoons of cream (you can use half and half) and add the grated cheese mixing well to be sure the cheese spreads through the dish.

Top with parmasan flakes before serving.

** I served this with a marinated chicken that I buy at our butchers. You could serve this as a vegetarian dish or add any meat you like. Sprinkled with crispy bacon and parmasan is tasty if you do not want a piece of meat with the dinner. **

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk (as we say in Holland)!
Heidi

Look what is for dinner.....

Mexican style pasta salad
340g / 12oz     can of corn, drained
420g/ 15oz    can of red kidney beans, drained
handfull of green olives
2 cups spiral pasta
300g / 11oz   jar of chunky salsa
French dressing
2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
olive oil
chopped parsley

Cook the pasta as directed on the package and drain.

Drain the corn and kidney beans. Cut a hand full of green olives in half lengthwise. Mix the pasta, corn, beans, olives and salsa in a large mixing bowl.

Add enough French dressing to moisten the pasta salad as desired. I used 3 large serving spoons of dressing. This may be more or less depending on the thickness of your French dressing.

Fry the cut up chicken in a pan with olive oil until browned and cooked through. Add the chicken to the pasta salad and mix well. Chop a hand full of fresh parsley and mix again. Serve chilled.

Serve chilled.Wine to go with this dinner is:
Vega Del Cega Valdepenas
Tinto Tempranillo - Garnacha 2009
                                                        
Bon appetit or, as we say in Holland, Eet smakelijk!
Heidi